Hello. Im new here so I just want to say hello to everyone who loves their pathfinder. Ive owned a 94 pathfinder for about five or six years now. Ever since Ive owned this vehicle, Ive had issues with it starting. When you would go to start it. You would turn the key and nothing would happen. You can hear a click at the starter it seemed. After fooling with the key for awhile it would usually start. I assumed it was an issue with the starter solenoid or a loose connection from my starter cable. Eventually my starter did fail and I had my first experience with changing out the starter. That was a real life experience.
Got the starter changed out and it seemed for awhile I had fixed my problem. However after awhile my vehicle started having starter issues again where you would turn the key and just a click. And again, after a few attempts it would start. I learned to live with this problem. Here recently, its been about a year since Ive changed the starter, Ive been having issues with the starter dragging badly. Went to the auto parts store and the person assumed my starter had started failing because it had been getting soaked from a leaky high pressure power steering hose. So I replaced the hose and the starter. They also said my battery was bad so I replaced it as well. After replacing all of these things about a week later, I was still having the problem with the no crank starter crank and click situation. Also my starter was acting as if it was dragging.
So I go back to the parts store and the dude told me he thought that maybe i had a bad starter even though it was only a week old. I understand, it happens. I change another starter. I notice in the starter box a paper stating that when you change the starter that you need to change the starter relay and the inhibitor relay if it has one. No one could tell me where the inhibitor relay was at and the starter relay they said was for my model wasnt even on my vehicle. The starter relay had two, two pin plugs that i could not find anywhere on my vehicles engine compartment. I finally found out where my inhibitor relay was and ordered it and replaced it. Didnt fix my problem. Note. I usually deal with Oreillyes.
I checked with Advance auto parts and Autozone. Those two places didnt even list the inhibitor relay as a part for my vehicle and told me I would have to order it from the dealership. At different times I had checked with Oreilleys about starter relays and inhibitor relays, when they would look up the parts it would show no parts listed for my model. All three parts houses were clueless. I also checked with the local Nissan dealership. Again they told me they had no clue. So after installing the inhibitor relay the other night and it not doing nothing but clicking. I got out the meter, and my battery was only reading 11 volts. I put the jumper cables on it and it started right up. Drove the vehicle the whold week with no issues. Started just fine. So today i had stopped somewhere for something and went to leave and bam. Same thing. Turn the key and no crank and just click. Had my wife come and I put the jumper cables on and it started right up. So here is the questions I need answered.
My vehicle is a 01/94 production model and A/T
1. Does my vehicle have a starter relay.The one the parts house says i have, I cannot find anywhere on or in my vehicle. All of my relays are the small standard looking relays with a single plug. The starter relay they say i need is two plugs with two pins in each plug. Ive seen some pictures online showing this relay on the passenger side firewall but nothing in mine. My inhibitor plug was on the drivers side firewall attached to an L bracket with a blue relay which I believe is the park neutral relay.
2. With the issue with the low voltage, is it possible or likely it may have something to do with my alternator. When I check my battery while the engine is running it says it is at 13 volts. Is it possible the alternator is coming and going?
3. Ive read online in some blogs that the inhibitor relay is considered to be starter relay. Is this true. None of the parts houses seem to have a clue about this.